Orube got closer, her eyes shone along with the grin. Sandra remembered what the Oracle had begged them about; do not hurt Orube. How could she save him and at the same time not hurt her opinion?
"See the truth, Will!"
The voice came from the blond girl. She had grabbed Will by the arm, and looked at Orube and Sandra.
"It isn't Orube!"
The words echoed in Sandra's head, just as Orube threw herself over her.
"Back, your devil!" Sandra roared, without thinking, and placed the broadside of the sword against Orube's chest. Orube was flung backwards, but was quickly on her feet again.
"You'll only lose power by that, human", she hissed, and rushed forward.
"It's Orube's body, but inside it's Yua. She controls her!"
The blond girl's voice made Sandra fix her eyes at Orube's diaphragm.
"Go away, Yua!" she roared, and pushed the sword forward. At the same time, the power of the four others flew into Orube's back, and pushed her forward. The sword in Sandra's hand gloomed by some magical force, before it sent out a wave of fire over Orube. She screamed, and was flung into the air. Sandra stared at her, like the four other girls. They could all see how a grey smoke rose from Orube, before the body sank down onto the ground. Sandra looked frightened at her when she didn't move. Had she killed her? The Asian girl hurried to Orube's side.
"Is she… is she…"
Sandra couldn't say what she wanted to. She was afraid that the answer would be a yes. The girl sank down next to Orube.
"She's alive", she said, relieved. Sandra breathed out, and dropped the sword. It turned to smoke when it reached the floor, and for a moment she wondered if she had really used it.
"Nice work", Irma grinned, and came up to Sandra. "Your powers are huge!"
"It wasn't my powers", Sandra calmly said. "The sword did the work."
"What sword?" Irma said, very surprised. Sandra stared at her. Hadn't they seen it? The sword had been there, in her hand, she had felt it.
"Guardians, go home."
The voice came from the Oracle, who now had got to his feet. The girls looked surprised at each other, before helping Orube onto her feet and then disappeared. Sandra turned to the Oracle.
"Why did you send them home?" she asked, surprised.
"You do not have to question that", the Oracle answered.
"At least you could have thanked them!"
Sandra felt how the anger began to boil inside of her, but the Oracle stood calmly at the same place.
"It was you who saved me", he finally said.
"Without them you would've been dead", Sandra snapped. She wondered why she couldn't control the anger. She had managed to do that since she was about ten-twelve years, so why didn't it work now, when she soon would turn fifteen?
"Calm down", the Oracle said, still calm.
"I wish I could", Sandra muttered, and fisted her hands. Then she relaxed, before fisting them again. It didn't work.
"We have to find out how the portal opened", the Oracle said. Sandra snatched, and the anger was replaced by surprise. The portal? Yes, that's right, the one she'd fallen through. He wanted to help her home now, right?
"I have no idea", she finally said, and crossed her arms over the chest. "Isn't there anyone who might have opened it?"
"There is one possibility, not more", the Oracle answered. He nodded towards the painting on the wall, and Sandra wrinkled her forehead. Was the woman on the painting the only possibility?
"The woman you're watching is Freedom, the queen of Valinor", the Oracle explained. "Freedom is the only Portalkeeper, and only a little of her gift transfers to her descendants. Only with her permission, a portal can be opened."
"Would she open a portal to this place?" Sandra wondered, and looked at the Oracle. He stood silent for a while.
"No."
The answer was short and undoubtedly. He was sure. Sandra sighed, and looked at the woman. The sword seemed to gloom in her hand.
"We have to get you away from here, so that you can return to your normal life", the Oracle said after a while. "Since we do not know how the portal works from here, we have to use the The Universe's Door."
He pushed the door open, and walked out. Sandra followed him, and side by side they hurried through the corridors of the huge castle. Finally, the Oracle stopped. A high door in white rose before them.
"When you walk through this door, you have to focus very hard on your home", the Oracle said. "It's the only way for you to get away. Do not think about anything else, just your home."
"How will I feel when I walk through it?" Sandra asked.
"As if you're dreaming", the Oracle answered. Sandra nodded, and inside she built up the picture of her block, the common land and the copse. The Oracle pushed the door open, and she stepped inside. Just as it closed behind her, she heard the call again.
"Help!"
She looked around in the white mist. The picture of the block disappeared, and a deep darkness sank around her. Then came the cold, she froze in the sudden wind. Then, she heard screams, and the sound of metal against metal. She felt something warm on her left arm, and saw red drops falling from above. Fresh blood. The screams were closer now. More blood fell from the invisible sky. Or was it the sky? She had no clue. The screams rang in her ears, she was in the middle of chaos. And then, silence. The blood disappeared. Instead, there was light. A shining light, right in front of her. It was shaped like a doorway, and she stepped through it. The darkness surrounded her once again. She heard voices, arguing.
"Olórin, there is no hope", the first one said.
"The Guardian has talked to me several times now, she tells me that we need help", the other one, Olórin, said. He sounded very irritated.
"How do you know that it was a Guardian? What if it was Andernilwen?"
"Andernilwen do not surround herself with the Golden Fire, her very soul would die", Olórin answered. "We have to take the risk, my brother, we have to open a portal."
"None of us is the Portalkeeper", the first one sighed. "We wouldn't be able to handle the power. I only know the words that makes a portal open; as the Portalkeeper, I command you, portal of the West, to open up."
The voices disappeared, but the man's words rang in Sandra's ears. What if she could open a portal by saying those words? Maybe she would then be able to get home. She concentrated once again on her home, but no pictures came up. Instead, she saw a snow-covered land before her, and the cold wind came back. She floated over the snow, and discovered blood-prints in it, outside the houses. On some places there were also bodies. Sandra shivered. It was horrible. Who would let anything like this happen? Somehow, she knew the answer; Andernilwen. She had no clue about who this Andernilwen was, but she wanted to help the land she floated over. Even though this would mean that she would die. The darkness came back, but now she wasn't worried. Instead she was resolute, and felt how she made motions with her hands.
"As the Portalkeeper, I command you, portal of the West, to…"
She composed herself, pulled back the hands and then threw them forwards.
"Open up!"
A white light surrounded her, before she landed carefully in a copse. The trees stood naked, and before her she saw a big castle, right beside a foaming sea. The smell of salt hit her, together with the cold wind, but she didn't care. She would bring an end to the people's suffering. Resolute she stepped out of the copse, and walked away to the gates of the castle. Hidden behind a boulder she saw guards in black armour leading men and women into the castle. Some screamed, terrified, others were so aching and bloody that they didn't have the power to make any resistance. The guards posted on each side of the gate inspected the prisoners, before nodding, laughing and pointing into the castle. Sandra's eyes followed the prisoners; saw the fear in their eyes. Then, suddenly, one of the male prisoners passed her hiding, and happened to throw a glance at her. Surprised, he stopped, and the guard pulled his arm. The man stood still. Sandra placed one finger over her lips, and the man nodded unnoticeable. With a knock in the prisoner's back head, the guard made him continue walking, and Sandra crawled away a bit. They would probably be more vigilant now. To pass them, she needed a weapon. What would protect her against the black steal? She looked around, and her gaze fell upon an old, broken spear, that some careless guard had thrown away. Sandra reached out her hand, and grabbed it. The feeling of evilness swallowed through her, and she turned up her nose at it. She would have to use a weapon of evilness to pass. With a low curse she grabbed the hold with both hands, and got to her feet. The man who had seen her before was now at the doors, and looked around when he heard the scattered gasps. Sandra had jumped over the row of blocks, and stood on the road with the broken spear in her hands. The guards with their prisoners looked confused. If they should attack the girl, they would have to release the prisoners, which were much forbidden. Instead it was the guards at the gates who finally left their posts, and walked at the girl with drawn swords.
"I'm here to meet Andernilwen!" she said in a high voice. The guards stopped. None of the citizens used the queen's name. Why did this girl? Was she completely out of her mind?
"You're just going to stand there?" the girl asked, spinning the broken spear in her hand. "I do not have the whole day."
These were the kind of situations that Sandra loved; when people fell for the power of words. The guards were completely speechless. Just the man in the front, the one who had discovered her, managed to give her a slight smile. After a while, several of the other prisoners smiled too, before the man suddenly kicked his guard. The guard bent double, gasping for air. The man drew a short knife, which he pushed into the guard's uncovered armpit. The guard fell down onto the ground, his dying body twitched. The prisoners sheered, and the guards did their best to get the free man. Sandra used the spear to cut down the closest guards, and several of the prisoners got free. She didn't really know why she chose to do this, but it was probably because of that the guards helped Andernilwen. The man in the front rushed towards her, and pulled her away from the road.
"Run!" he commanded.
"You're crazy?" Sandra exclaimed. "I'm not going anywhere until those guards have faced their destiny."
"Already done", the man grinned, as he grabbed her arm. "The others will take care of them."
"Who?" Sandra asked.
"The other magicians, of course", the man answered. "Come on now, we've got to hurry!"
He pulled her away from the castle and the see, right across the great, snow-covered fields. None of them saw the white-skinned woman in the castle's highest tower, who angrily looked after them.